Certain Women

The Next Reel Film Podcast

"I just knew if I didn’t start driving, I wasn’t gonna see you again."

Kelly Reichardt’s most recent film, last year’s Certain Women, is a bit of a departure for her in that it’s a film consisting of three separate stories that are only loosely connected (other than thematically). But in this structure, it’s interesting to see Reichardt at her best as perhaps the stories each end up getting as much time as they really need to be told, at least in our perspective. Unfortunately, it didn’t find its audience and lost money at the box office. Luckily, Reichardt’s proven herself as a filmmaker who knows how to tell intimate character stories and will continue making movies. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we conclude our Kelly Reichardt series with her 2016 film Certain Women.

We talk about the certain women in these stories and how the stories work for us now that they’re all about 30 minutes each (although we both still struggle with one of them). We chat about the nature of these ensemble, multi-story films and how well it works under the guidance of Reichardt, especially now that she’s writing the screenplay herself. We look at each of the actors, including Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams and our personal favorite Lily Gladstone, and talk about what they bring to the table. We look at Reichardt’s minimalist nature and contemplate why it doesn’t always work well for us (notably the dark cinematography). And we touch on the box office and what it perhaps says about her investors that they keep investing large amounts of money in her films.

It’s an interesting film that, while not one of our favorites, certainly was the favorite of the series. There are a lot of really interesting moments throughout the film and it’s worth watching and talking about, so check it out then tune in!

Film Sundries

• Watch this film: iTunes
• Script Transcript
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Half in Love, Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Malloy
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Trailers of the Week

• Andy's Trailer: Detroit — "Kathryn Bigelow’s a favorite on this show and her latest film looks to be as intense as her last several. Add in a dose of political intensity with a release that feels very timely, this could be one of the films everyone’s talking about this summer. Plus, John Boyega!"
• Pete's Trailer: City of Tiny Lights — "Pretty straight forward private dick tribute: prostitute goes to a detective on a missing persons hunt. Twist? Stars Riz Ahmed who I really like in spite of that horrific Bourne tripe. The look of the London in the trailer is wonderful. I can only hope the look lives up to the film’s hard boiled promise."